Oleksandr Usyk has revealed he defused what could have been a nasty fight ahead of Saturday’s undisputed title fight with Tyson Fury.
On Monday, John Fury, the father of the WBC heavyweight champion, was at the center of a brawl with members of Usyk’s team.
The footage appeared to show John Fury headbutting Stanislav Stepchuk. John Fury was later photographed with blood from a head wound.
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Ahead of Oleksandr Usyk’s showdown with Tyson Fury on Saturday night, Fraser Clarke said Fury “doesn’t want to give up 1%” in his fight preparation and that “Usyk’s sacrifices will push him to keep going.”
Usyk described how he prevented his team from escalating the confrontation further.
“I said, ‘Hey, Team Usyk is backing off. Back off, please.’ Look, my team is very good if you want to fight, no boxing, street, shooting, knives, wrestling But I said, “Hey, hey guys, please come back.” We have to behave well,” Usyk said.
“My friend (Stepchuk) is a powerful guy. A street guy. Did you see the video, he was like a pit bull. I said ‘Stop!’ Okay, (they did it).”
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Fury and Usyk look forward to their clash against the heavyweight champions on Saturday night and share what a victory will mean for both of them.
The Ukrainian considers the incident disappointing. “Of course it’s a question of discipline,” he said. “It’s bad, it’s just bad.
“A stupid situation. I don’t want to call John bad because I don’t know, because it’s not my life.”
But Usyk insisted it would not be a distraction ahead of Saturday’s heavyweight championship clash.
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Warning: the video includes a graphic image. Tyson Fury’s father John gives his views on the clash between him and Oleksandr Usyk’s camp in Riyadh
“To me it doesn’t matter, I think it’s bad behavior from Tyson’s team. Look, we’re professional athletes, we’re not street fighters. C “This is a great event for our people, for the United Kingdom and Ukraine,” he said.
“If you want a situation that destabilizes my team, it’s not possible. Because it’s not just professional athletes. They’re professional soldiers, they’re professional athletes, they’re professionals.
“This situation doesn’t matter to me, it’s just motivation for my team.”
